Category Archives: Beauty

I love the cold winter weather. I’m not a fan of the snow on the roads, but the cold never phases me; I guess, living in Canada for the past 30 years will do that to you.

The cold, fresh air in the winter makes my skin glow and my makeup stays put all day. But it does make my face extremely dry. I’ve bought expensive creams and serums to aid with the dry skin; nothing seems to work as good as my household remedies. So here, I’m giving you my best tested home remedy to soothe winter skin.

This is a quick and easy remedy that will allow you to conveniently find all the ingredients right in your fridge/cupboard or local grocery store.

The first and most important of all: honey. Honey has tons of healing properties. It’s known as a natural antibiotic and can be used as an anti-inflammatory and moisturizing miracle worker.

Yogurt has lactic acid in it; which will help dissolve dead skin and tighten pores. It’s also cool and applying yogurt on your face just gives your skin a refreshing feeling.

Turmeric will help fight acne and heal scars. This ingredient also has anti-inflammatory properties which will target pores and calm redness in skin.

Mix the three ingredients together and you’ve got a magic mask to deal with all the cold, windy days of winter. Plus, you’re skin will feel refreshed, smooth and soft and love you for this magic potion.

Yogurt-Honey Mask

Ingredients:

1-2 tbsp yogurt

1-2 tbsp honey

1 tsp turmeric powder

Directions:

Mix ingredients together

Apply with a brush or fingers evenly on face and neck. You can even apply the mixture to your hair if you have time to wash your hair; otherwise stick to applying it to your face only.

Leave on for 20-25 minutes or until mixture dries on your skin

To Remove:

Wet hands with lukewarm water and rub on face in a circular motion for 2-3 minutes. This will give your skin a good massage and exfoliate dead skin. Make sure to use gentle circular motions as you don’t want to aggravate the skin.

Rinse off with cool water

Apply a light moisturizer, if needed. I personally don’t need it after this mask as it leaves my skin feeling hydrated and smooth.

The next morning, I apply Vaseline to my t-zone and lips and my moisturizer on the rest of my face. The Vaseline creates a barrier for my sensitive area against the cold winter air. Plus, applying a light coat of Vaseline helps my makeup go on smoother.

Try this mask at least once or twice a week depending on how much healing and refreshing your skin needs.

Don’t forget to let me know how amazing your skin feels after trying this or share your remedies with me and get featured on my blog (I’m always looking for new people to feature).

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I’ve had vertigo for the past two weeks and I’ve been home trying to cope with it. It’s a terrible thing to have because at any given time you are dizzy, feel like the ground and walls are moving around you and it causes terrible nausea. I’ve also endured multiple headaches; worst then I’ve ever had before, so many sleepless nights and the feeling of my heart pounding against my chest so hard as if it’s going to explode.

My doctor put me on an anti-vertigo pill; which hasn’t really helped yet and now I’m also taking Gravol to cope with the nausea. But the Gravol makes me extremely drowsy and if I don’t lay down soon after, I get a horrible feeling of anxiety; it’s not a good feeling to have. I’m also waiting for an ENT appointment, so that the specialist can run some tests to see why I have this thing. But it’s been a week and no appointment yet.

I’ve been home from work well over a week now and if all the physical feeling and issues in having with the vertigo weren’t bad enough, I’m also dealing with the thoughts that I might lose my job for being off work so long. Although I’ve provided my boss with doctor’s notes and even given her his number to call should she wish to confirm my condition; I still feel as though she doesn’t believe me.

I know there’s not much I can do but wait this thing out and try to avoid the foods and drinks that may trigger it or cause it to worsen. But I really wish this thing would go away so that I could go back to being myself again.

Will keep you posted on how I’m doing. I can’t really spend too much time writing because staring at the phone bothers my eyes and causes a headache. But I’ll try to provide more details when I can. Stay tuned and stay healthy and if any of you or someone you know has had vertigo and knows how to get rid of it, please for heaven’s sake share it with me!

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Have you heard of Birchbox.ca? It’s a website that allows you to test out different products every month. For $10 plus shipping, you can receive 5 new samples monthly. I think it’s a great way to test out products without committing to the high-price before you’ve actually tried it out.

Of course, I signed up for it and just received my first Birch box. My samples came in a beautiful box and wrapped in tissue. It arrived exactly when they said it would and they even provided tracking information.

They gave me a $10 coupon off my next purchase of $35 or more; which is fantastic because I actually like one of my samples and am hoping to buy it before I receive my next order.

The samples that were included in my Birchbox were pretty good, except for one. But the size of the samples was disgustingly small. I mean, I understand they’re samples, i was just hoping they would be slightly bigger then they were. Here’s what I received:

Bain de Terre | Arian Oil & Passion Flower Color Therapy Styling Oil
Smell: Strong smell – but has not troubled my allergies or trigger my asthma to act up. I love how my hair smells after using this product. (5/5)
After application results: My hair felt smooth and shiny – just like the packaging said it would! (5/5)
Overall rating: (5/5) I love this product!
Would I buy it: The full size is decently priced ($13.00 via Google search), but once my sample runs out, I’ll see how the feel and will probably end up buying it!

Coastal Scents | styleEYES Eyeshadow Palette – formalEYES
Smell: N/A (0/5)
After application results: The pigmentation of these eyeshadow was amazing! (5/5)
Overall rating: (5/5) I love how the colours complement my skin tone.
Would I buy it: Of course! Full palette with 8 beautiful natural shades for only $16.00.

My overall rating on my Birchbox is 4/5. The sizes of the samples are quite small. But I did end up liking most of my samples and will probably order at least two of them once the sample runs out. For $10 plus taxes, this was a great experience. I can’t wait for my next Birchbox to arrive!

Since I’m working in a brand-crazy area now, I’ve been walking around and discovering new stores daily. I knew of L’Occitane prior to working here, but had never been to the stores. I recently visited a store and was offered an out-of-this-world hand wash and massage. They first exfoliated my hands, washed them, applied cuticle oil and then massaged them with a luxurious, velvety hand cream. The whole experience was just amazing and my hands felt as soft as a baby’s skin.

The one product that really stood out for me during my hand-wash and massage, was the cuticle oil. It really did wonders to my dried out cuticle, of course, I purchased a tube of it, along with hand cream. So, I’ve been using this cuticle oil on my hands for the past week and can honestly say, my cuticle haven’t looked better in years. The price was a bit high, but you use such little product that it justifies the size and the results are fantastic.

Description from their website: Soften your cuticles and strengthen your nails with this Nourishing Oil. Our new formulation has 30% shea oil and comes with a brush applicator for easy, clean application. To use, gently press on the tube and apply to cuticles with the brush before manicuring. Massage to soften the cuticles and help strengthen nails.

Here’s my results:

Application: Quick, easy and mess-free (5/5)Smell: Strong smell – but has not troubled my allergies or trigged my asthma to act up (3/5)After application results: Soft, hydrated cuticles (like when you get a fresh manicure) (5/5)Overall rating: (4/5) Besides the smell, I love this product and am completely hooked.Would I buy it again: Of course, these cuticles aren’t going to hydrate themselves!Would I recommend it to a friend: Absolutely!

I recently picked up some samples of Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream: Intense Hydration from Holt’s. A friend had recommended it for my extremely dry, patchy skin. I am absolutely in love with this light-weight, intense cream.

I initially suspected it would be heavy and oily/greasy. But it was the complete opposite. It left my skin feeling soft, hydrated and fresh. I love applying to my dry face in the morning and at night for extra moisture.

Application: Quick, easy and mess-free (5/5)Smell: No smell (5/5After application results: Hydrated, smooth and soothing (5/5)Price: $33 for 50mL (4/5)Overall rating: 4/5 – I find the price a bit steep for the size of the product. But I would still buy it because it works and does exactly what it says it would do.Would I buy it again: Yes. After I use up all of my sample packs, I will be buying myself a jar.Would I recommend it to a friend: Absolutely!

You can buy it online here: Kiehl’s or at Holt Renfrew’s in Toronto. Definitely worth a try!

Many of you may have heard of the new charcoal masks that are out in the markets these days, promising amazing results for your pores and complexion. Well, luckily for you, I recently bought one to test out and have some feedback for you!

I picked up the Origins’ Clear Improvement® Active Charcoal Mask Pods from Sephora. I decided to buy the pods because they allow me to use them four times and I can easily throw out the packaging without having to deal with a tube or figuring out the correct amount of product to use. I’ve only used them twice now because of lack of time and energy. Plus, you’re only supposed to use them once every couple of weeks.

The wow-factor of this charcoal mask is that it left my skin feeling incredibly soft, even and refreshed. The crap-factor is that it did nothing for my pores or so I didn’t notice any “wowing” effect on them.

The first time I tried the mask, it took longer than the 10-15 minutes to dry and using it in the shower wasn’t all that helpful because you’re supposed to soak your face with warm water, apply the mask, leave it for 15 minutes and then rinse off. Seriously, who has 15 minutes in the shower to be sitting with a mask on their face? I mean, a girls gotta wash her hair, scrub, exfoliate her skin/face, shave, and all that other stuff. Plus, being in the shower with it on doesn’t allow the mask to fully dry because you’re constantly getting little sprays of water on your face.

The second time I applied the mask (2-weeks later), I decided to take my shower first, so that the steam would open up my pores and then apply the mask. I let it dry while I was blow-drying my hair and then wiped it off with a cold, wet towel to help close the pores and remove the mask. I think the second time around, I got better results.

But like I said, I didn’t notice an incredible difference in my pores. My face was glowing and feeling gorgeous though!

Here’s my overall ratings:

Application: Quick, easy and a little messy (5/5)Smell: No smell! Yay! (5/5)After application results: Soft skin, even complexion but no effects on my pores (3.5/5)Overall rating: It doesn’t change your pores but it does leave your skin looking radiant. (4/5)Would I buy it again: Yes! I love how my face looks and feels. Plus, I haven’t noticed any patchy, flaky dry skin where I normally would.Would I recommend it to a friend: Absolutely!

What it is formulated to do:
When environmental toxins, dirt, and debris get under your skin, its waste-filtering system gets jammed, pores get clogged, and skin looks cloudy. Nature’s complexion clean-up crew gets to the bottom of skin’s overcast condition and clears the way for it to act its best. Activated charcoal acts like a magnet to draw out deep-dwelling pore-cloggers, white China clay absorbs environmental toxins, and lecithin dissolves impurities. Skin breathes a sigh of relief.

The heat is coming, or so I believe it is (clearly not soon enough for North America). But it is eventually, going to get here and so is the humidity. The -40°C temperatures this winter have really done their toll on my hair. My hair feels dry, dull, unhealthy and just boring, although I recently had it hi-lighted.

Bed time healing:

To give some much needed love to my tresses, I’ve made one of my favorite old recipes to apply before I go to bed tonight.

Here’s what you need:

1/2 cup Mint extract

Almond oil

Here’s what you do:

Heat almond oil in microwave for 15 seconds, let stand for a couple of seconds to cool

Mix 5-6 drops (depending on how tingly you want to feel) of mint extract into the almond oil and mix well

Apply to your scalp, working your way down to your roots.

Cover with scarf or towel and go to sleep!

When you wake up in the morning, simply wash hair as normal. Give yourself a deep concern conditioning treatment as well; heat your conditioner under hot running water and then apply to your tresses. This will give your hair an extra boost and relax your scalp. Leave conditioner on for 2-3 minutes before rinsing.

To add more shine and to smooth out fly-aways, you can use a couple of drops of almond oil instead of serum. This will add shine and keep your hair protected. Just be careful not to apply to much, or you’ll end up looking like a grease pot.